Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, according to R.A.IN.N. Every 68 seconds an individual's life is changed forever. The first woman that came to mind when creating this artwork was Recy Taylor. Recy Taylor was a black woman from Abbeville, Alabama who was raped by six men when she was 24 years old. Danielle McGuire, author of “It Was like All of Us Had Been Raped”: Sexual Violence, Community Mobilization, and the African American Freedom Struggle, joined our class via zoom to answered questions and to share more of Recy Taylor's story. This led me to research more victims and honestly it was difficult finding them. It is important that these victims' stories are public because it allows the iconic #MeToo movement to carry on to aid victims through their healing journey.

My project consists of large block numbers that say "68" to represent the American victims that are sexually assaulted every 68 seconds. Inside the numbers are women from our textbook and from online research that have been sexually assaulted or raped. Some notable women included in my artwork include Recy Taylor, Oprah Winfrey and Shelley Ross. By researching the victim's, I can understand their stories better and expand my empathy for them and other victims. When I found this statistic, I was shocked. I stared at my phone and watched the clock tick. I wanted to highlight the severity of the statistics but through a form of art.